Rheumatoid Arthritis and Lymphoma: What's the Link?

WebMD—December 24, 2015

According to Susan Bernstein, a writer for WebMD, the link between rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and lymphoma has more to do with RA than the medication taken to manage RA symptoms. The article notes that, RA "increases the activity in your white blood cells and changes how they interact with bacteria or viruses, like the Epstein-Barr virus, in your blood. That's what puts you at a slightly higher lymphoma risk."

With that being said, Vivian P. Bykerk, BSc, MD, FRCPC, a rheumatologist at Hospital for Special Surgery, notes that it "is still really rare" to get non-Hodgkin's lymphoma as a result of RA.

To learn more about these two medical conditions, visit WebMD.com.